Brake-beam.



G. F. HUNTOON.

BRAKE BEAM.

APPLIUATION FILED DEC. 17, 1909.

Patented June '7, 1910.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES I. HUNTOON. OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY D. LAUGHLIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BRAKE-BEAM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June *7, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES F. HUNTOON, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brake-Beams, of which the following is a specification' The main object of this invention is to provide an improved form of brake-beam adaptedto have great strength in proportion to the weight of the material therein and particularly adapted to resist with minimum deflection loads such as those to which it is subjected in service and during beam tests as to the limit of its strength.

Specifications for brake-beams are based usually upon the amount of deflection of the beam under certain specified loads. In

the usual construction of brake-beams of the general type herein shown, there is a certain amount of yielding in the joints between the parts adjacent to the brake-heads. A large part of the deflection of beams of usual construction is due to this yielding and in order to comply with the requirements of the specifications as to deflection, it is necessary with usual constructions-to make the beams much heavier thanthey need be to safely resist the strains to which the beam is subjected in practice. The herein described inative yielding of the parts and thereby in:

sure that the deflection resulting from a test 1i)s'e a true indication of the strength of the A specific construction embodying this invention and accomplishing the foregoing object is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan of a brake-beam havin adjustable brake-heads and particularly esigned for high-speed service. Fig.

2 is an enlarged detail, partly sectional. showing the method of connectin together the tension and compression memrs withthe sleeve or brake-head member. Fig. 3

is a sectional detail taken on the line 3-3 of section, showing a brake-head in position upon the sleeve or brake-head member. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of the strut, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

In the construction shown in the drawings, the compression member 1 is of substantially U-shaped cross-section, the back or web and the top and bottom flanges being of substantially the same Width. The strut 2 is of considerably greater length than is usual in brake-beams, and the tension member 3 has its middle part seated in a seat 4 at the end of the strut, and has its ends formed to lie between the top and bottom flanges of the compression member 1 and to extend substantially parallel with the compression member throughout the width of the brake-head member 5. The end parts of the tension member snugly fit between the top and bottom flanges which are at this point out down to a width substantially the shape as the compression member and having a shoulder 8 fitting against the end of the compression member.

' The head member 5 has an a erture extending longitudinally throng it, and

, shaped to fit the adjacent parts of the tension and compression members so snugly that in order to place the head member 5 in position, it is necessary to firstexpand the head member by heatin it and then allbw it to shrink after it is s ipped endwise into position on the compression and tension members. The surface of the member 5 which fits against the tension member is of such form that it not only fits throughout the length of the adjacent part of the tension member, but fits particularly snugly and accurately at 9 in Fig. 2, throughout the extent of the bend in the tension member. In addition to shrinking the head member 5 in position, it is secured by means of a rivet 10 passing transversely through it and through the tension and compression members. The head member is strengthened by integral enlargements in the form of collars 11 and 12 at its ends, the collar 11 being preferably the larger of the two, as it is 10- cated at the point at which the head member is subjected to the greatest strain. The periphery 13 of the head member between the collars 1.1 and 12 is substantially a surface of revolution with respect to an axis disposed longitudinally of the compression lnember and is preferably cylindrical. A depression or recess 14 is formed in this surface on one side for receiving a lug 15 on the brake-head 16, Fig. 4.

has a strap 17 which extends around the opposite side of the periphery 13 and which is hinged at 18 to the head 16. A bolt 19 and spring 20 draw the strap and head 16 into i gripping contact with the periphery 13. This arrangement of the brake-head permits it to be adjusted to different angular positions on the brake-beam, the angular movement being limited by the play of the lug 15 in the recess 14.

The strut 2 has one end shaped to form a tures 23 and 24. The aperture 23 extends through the strut at an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to the plane of the beam and serves as a seat within which the brake lever is fulcrumed by means of a bolt passing through the bolt hole 25. The aperture 24.

extends through the strut at right angles to the plane of the beam, and serves as a seat within which is pivotedthe link or other part which serves as a third suspension for the brake-beam, there being two other suspensions located at the respective brakeheads and comprising parts connected to the brake-heads by means of bolts extending through the apertures 26, one of which is shown in Fig. 4. There is a hole 27 in the strut for the bolt which fastens the strut to said third suspension link or part.

The points of suspension for the brakebeams are definitely located in cars constructed according to, the usual standards, and brake-beams to be acceptable must conform with these standards. The gradual increase in the required strength of brakebeams on account of the usual method of attaching the third suspension part to the brake-beam at the end of .thestrut has necessitated greatly increasing the weight of the various parts of the beams. By placing the point of third suspension at a point in the strut intermediate of the tension and com .he brake-head fits 5 the adjacent side of the periphery 13 and pression members, that is, by providing the aperture 24, it has been possible with the herein described construction to arrange the metal in the beam so that less weight of material will provide greater strength.

Another important feature of the herein described constructionis that the form of joints between the various members elimii nates all deflection due to mere yielding of the tension member in said joints and there by insures that the lighter beam construction will easily come within the requirements of the deflection tests.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention is herein shown and described, it will be understood that some of the details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted, within the scope of the following claims, without departing from the spirit of this invention.

I claim:

1. A brake-beam, comprising a compres sion member, a tension member, a strut, said tension member being bent at its ends so as to lie substantially parallel with said com pression member adjacent to its ends, means for preventing IGlZLlLIVB' shifting of said members in a longitudinal direction, and a brakehead member surrounding the adjacent end portions of said compression and tension members, said head member being shrunk in position so as to normally exert a pressure for forcing said members into unyielding engagement with each other.

2. A. brake-beam, comprising a compression member of U-shaped cross-section, a tension member, a strut, said tension member being bent at its ends so as to lie within and substantially parallel with said compression member adjacent to its ends, means for preventing relative shifting of said members in a longitudinal direction, and a brake-head member surrounding the adjacent end portions of said. compression and tension members, said head member being shrunk in position so as to normally exert a pressure for forcing said members into unyielding engagement with each other.

3. A brake-beam, comprising a compression member, a tension member, a strut, said tension member being bent at its ends so as to lie substantially parallel with said compression member adjacent to its ends, an insion member, a tension member, a strut, said tension member being bent at its ends so as to lie substantially parallel with said compression member adjacent to its ends, means for preventin relative shifting of said members in a longitudinal direction, and a brakev head member surrounding the adjacent end portions of said compression and tension members, said head member having therein an aperture shaped to fit snugly around the adjacent end portions of said compression and tension members and said head member being shrunk in position upon said tension and compression members so as to normally exert a pressure forcing them into unyielding engagement With each other, and said head member having thereon a surface bearing on said tension member and extending throughout the adjacent bend in said tension member so as to prevent yielding of the tension member at said bend When under strain.

5. A brake-beam, comprising a compression member, a tension member, a strut, said tension member being bent at its ends so as tofllie substantially parallel with said compression member ad acent to its ends, means for preventing relative shifting of said members in a longitudinal direction, a brakehead member surrounding the adjacent end portions of said compression and tension members, sald head member being shrunk 1n position so as to normally exert a pressure for forcing said members into unyielding en- Signed at Chicago this 14th day of De- 4o cember 1909,

CHARLES F. HUNTOQN.

Witnesses:

E. A. LAUGHLIN, EDWIN PHnLrs. 

